Second Place
by Faeroen
Summary: Sakuno Ryuzaki had a crush on Ryoma Echizen, the prodigy. Not him. He was always second at Seigaku and not in her heart at all.
1. Chapter 1

Seigaku Academy was the first to arrive at the Junior Invitational Enrichment Camp. The purpose of the training camp was to choose members for the invitational team to play against the West Coast American Team. Sakuno Ryuzaki followed the regular team members off the bus along with her best friend Tomoka who insisted the two of them wear their tennis uniforms. Boys from St. Rudolf and Fudomine showed up followed shortly by Rikkai Dai; the best players from all their rival schools and some still bearing grudges from the Kantou Championships.

Sakuno tossed a long braid behind her shoulder and took her place between Tomoka and Katou with the volunteers at the top of the steps while the players lined up by school at the bottom of the steps. The only volunteer not from Seigaku was An Tachibana from Fudomine. As coach for Seigaku Academy for the past twenty years, her grandmother gave a short speech on the purpose and rules for the camp and introduced coach Hanamura from Rikkai Dai and coach Sakaki from Hyotei Gakuen. Sakuno missed hearing anything else because Tomoka began whispering to her about some of the other players and how Ryoma was so much better than they were.

As soon as she got a chance Tomoka yelled "Ryoma-sama!" at the top of her lungs making the Seigaku freshman pull his Fila baseball cap further down covering his eyes. Sakuno saw the brunette shake her head at Tomoka and Sakuno wondered why Tachibana An wore the top of her tennis uniform with jeans instead of a short pleated skirt.

While the players went to the dorm and checked the rosters for room assignments and to find out which of the three teams they were on Sakuno and the other five volunteers were given a tour of the facility storage shed, store room, laundry room and cafeteria. They weren't assigned to a specific coach or area although coach Ryuzaki already told Horio and Katou to attend her team meeting and supply the balls and towels.

Her grandmother's decision didn't bother Sakuno since the boys were going to be players next year, but Tomoka complained about it loudly as they each grabbed a box of towels off the shelf in the laundry room. Her best friend looked at the training schedules to see where the other two coaches were and if there was a possibility of passing Ryoma on the way.

"Coach Hanamura is in the training room so I'll go there. Sakuno, you may go to Coach Sakaki's group at the tennis courts." Tomoka finally decided.

"Roger, commander!" Sakuno giggled at her friend's choice. The pretty red-headed coach was as enthusiastic about her tennis team as Tomoka was about Ryoma.

Coach Sakaki's seriousness was a little intimidating to Sakuno, "I brought towels and water for your team, Coach Sakaki. Where do you want the box?"

"Out of the way." He didn't take his eyes from the boys' practice as he gestured toward the benches.

She set the box on one of the benches then stepped back to watch the match between Fuji and that boy who always wore a blue baseball cap. After Fuji won she found out that his name was Sanada and that he was from Rikkai Dai, which she should have known and would have known if she paid attention to more than just her grandmother's team during the tournaments. Tachibana An seemed to know all the players on several teams and even greeted Momoshiro by name, perhaps she ought to learn more of their names as well.

All three girls helped the dietician prepare dinner while Horio and Katou showed up only to serve coach Ryuzaki's team. An made a comment about Horio's lack of skills after he bragged about having two years of tennis experience and Tomoka let her know that wasn't his worst trait; the singular eyebrow stretching across his forehead was more annoying. Sakuno was fairly certain An and Tomoka were the reason Horio and Katou didn't stick around to help with the dishes.

* * *

The sunset wasn't very colorful, yet Sakuno watched the few thin clouds anyway. There was no reason to hurry back to the room she was sharing with the other two girls after losing rock-paper-scissors. Her turn for the shower probably wasn't for another half hour so she decided to check the equipment in the storage shed.

The distinctive pok,tok…pok,tok…pok,tok of a tennis ball hitting cinderblock then cement led her around the back corner of the storage shed to see who it was. Sakuno wasn't surprised to see the familiar brunette with wisps of hair framing his face as he hit the ball. Syusuke Fuji's shirt was sweat stained making it obvious he'd been out here for some time so she leaned against the back wall watching the small green blur hit a cinderblock and bounce off the cement slab only to be struck again sending it back to the exact same cinderblock.

During the Kanto Tournament he played against Kirihara who temporarily blinded him and won anyway because he was so focused on the sound of the ball; Sakuno convinced herself that he wasn't aware of anything beyond the ball so she felt safe watching the way his body moved as he swung the racket over and over again. Fuji stopped to wipe some of the sweat from his face and she looked down at her shoes rather than his exposed stomach. He definitely needed a towel and maybe a bottle of water judging by the way he panted between shots.

That meant going into the shed and turning on a light which might distract him, it wasn't her place to interrupt a senior classman during a private practice. That excuse didn't make her feel any better so she ducked inside and grabbed a water bottle off the shelf by the door then quickly went around the cement slab to leave the water by his bag. Although he didn't have Eiji's agility he was amazing to watch.

The ball was left where it landed while Fuji put his racket away then thanked her for the water before heading toward the dorms. She stood there for a couple of minutes surprised by his sudden departure and hoping that he wasn't upset by her intrusion. No, if he was upset he probably would have left the water behind. Sakuno grabbed the abandoned tennis ball and returned it to one of the baskets in the storage shed before heading to the room she shared with Tomoka and An.

An-chan was beginning to comb out her shoulder length chestnut hair when Sakuno walked through the door.

"Hey, Sakuno-chan, have you seen my flower hair clip lately?"

"You mean the one you wore the first day? No, not lately," Sakuno began unbraiding her hair while Tomoka finished in the bathroom. It took a long time compared to An who simply removed the two clips holding her fringe.

Sakuno's best friend opened the bathroom door still towel drying her hair "Your turn Sakuno."

She grabbed her robe and towel and locked the door behind her. Tomoka and An-chan were sprawled across their futons chatting about the players when she returned with the towel wrapped around her wet hair.

"Because he doesn't think of me as Kippei's little sister and he treats me like an equal on and off the court." An rolled over onto her back to file the nails on her right hand.

"Since the two of you met at the street courts then it must be a popular place for other players, right?" Tomoka stuck her comb in the travel case at the foot of her futon and pulled out a tube of lotion.

"About half the guys here show up most Sundays, some early, others later." An dropped the emery board into the zippered pouch by her pillow and pulled out some lip balm.

"Sakuno, please turn off the light when you're done." Tomoka crawled under her covers "Goodnight."

* * *

The next morning An helped her take baskets of balls to the courts for grandmother's training group. As expected Momoshiro and a few others greeted An while Sakuno was ignored, but she was used to that. An-chan seemed to be staring at one player in particular so Sakuno followed her gaze to a curly haired boy doing warm-up stretches. When he turned to face them she saw a bandage on his left cheek.

"All those injuries!" Sakuno put both hands to her cheeks in worry.

"He looks like he'll be fine" An-chan sounded relieved.

"Are you sure, An-chan?"

"You're even more of a mother hen than Oishi-san."

"Oishi-senpai?" Why was she being compared to a doubles champion?

Sakuno was washing the last of the dishes from her lunch shift when she heard Tomoka yell "Ryoma-sama!" from the serving line. Her best friend was never going to stop being his personal cheerleader and although it sometimes embarrassed her she was glad that Tomoka found a way to support the team that still made half of them smile at the short freshman's discomfort. Sakuno wasn't good at cheering. Even when Tomoka gave her pom-poms to use during the championships she just stood there clutching them to her chest. She once made rice balls wrapped in seaweed and brought them as a snack for everyone after a match which was appreciated by almost everyone. Maybe she ought to ask the dietician for some advice on better things for them to eat.

After gathering the used towels from the training room and washing them with the ones Tomoko gathered Sakuno collected the balls from one of the tennis courts with An-chan, putting them in plastic baskets to be taken back to the storage shed. Then it was time to help prepare dinner and the dietician was more than happy to answer Sakuno's questions regarding proper snacks to eat before and after a strenuous match.

Serving a scoop of rice to each of the boys in Coach Sakaki's group wasn't intimidating since she knew four of them. Several players wore ankle weights including all of the team members from Seigaku. After kitchen duty she wandered over to the storage shed by way of the courts and saw they were empty and dark; the grounds were quiet until she came closer to the shed. This time he didn't have his bag with him, but he did have a water bottle already. Did that mean he really didn't want her intruding?

She walked around to the side opposite the flickering security light where she couldn't see if he was still hitting the same cinder block over and over again. It still seemed a little odd to watch him practice when the genius seemed to win most of his matches with little effort; even now he was relaxed as though doing this simply to relieve boredom. Perhaps that was only because he still wore his usual serene smile; it wasn't until he stopped smiling that Sakuno was convinced he took the match seriously.

Fuji suddenly caught the ball with his left hand and set it on the bench to drink some water then wipe his face with his shirt. Sakuno dropped her gaze to her shoes again, but not quick enough. While her eyes focused on a new scuff mark the image of his abdomen all lean and hard remained burned into her retinas. She shouldn't be here. Sakuno glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was coming down the lighted walkway to catch her gawking at her upperclassman.

* * *

The next morning Coach Hanamura asked her to take proper notes of a player's style in order to critique their strengths and weaknesses later. Tomoka videotaped the match however Sakuno spent more time clutching the clipboard to her chest than writing on it as the game intensified. After the game she wondered how Inui kept such meticulous notes and recalled obscure facts about every player the team faced. His secret was probably the 'Inui-juice' that the others talked about sometimes. Maybe he'd share some with her or trade for a special snack.

After handing her clipboard to Coach Hanamura she rushed to the training room hoping to catch Coach Sakaki's group. She missed them. The room was empty except for a couple of used towels which she put into the laundry bag by the door then began putting the dumbbells back on the rack against the wall.

"What do you think you're doing?" Yuuta Fuji took the weight away from her and carried it over to the rack placing it at the end instead of in the proper weight sequence.

Sakuno immediately bowed with both hands clasped "I was looking for Inui-sempai, but he wasn't here and the room wasn't in proper order so-"

"What do you want to see me about?" Inui straightened his square framed glasses.

"Please share some of your special juice with me, Inui-senpai." Sakuno bowed politely.

"You want to try some of my special mix?"

"I am willing to trade a snack of your choice for some."

"Setting up Ryuzaki-san like that is low, Fuji." Kaido hissed.

Kawamura yelled "Don't drink it, Ryuzaki-san!"

Which caused the coach to enter the room and ask what was going on in a tone of voice that sent the girl scurrying away as she apologized for interrupting their training session; once Sakuno caught her breath she wondered why Kaido thought Fuji set her up and why Kawamura didn't want her to have any juice. It was all very strange and she still didn't know how to take proper notes.

After her lunch shift she and An went to collect the balls from the courts. Coach Sakaki's training group passed by them and Sakuno watched Fuji walk by wondering again what Kaido and Kawamura meant. Should she ask Inui again when he was alone? Was there anyone else to ask for advice on note-taking?

"So what do you like about Fuji's older brother, Sakuno?" An asked loudly from somewhere behind her.

It took a moment for her to understand An was referring to Syusuke Fuji and said the first thing that popped into her head. "He's very nice and fun to watch." All the team members were nice and played very well so it was exciting to watch them.

She heard a snicker that didn't sound like An and turned to see her grandmother's training group standing around the sidelines waiting for the balls to be picked up. An smiled up at a dumbstruck Momoshiro while Ryoma muttered "Mada, mada, dane", his way of saying a person isn't good enough or still has a ways to go. Even after all these months in still brought blood rushing to her face and pounding in her ears.

Sakuno dropped her basket of balls on the bench and rushed off to the laundry room hoping to avoid everyone else until her embarrassing blush disappeared. It was silly of her to think that she'd stop hearing that phrase when she stopped taking tennis lessons from the prodigy. 'Not good enough', 'long way to go', 'found lacking', Sakuno used to hear it every Sunday when he told her 'knees too straight', 'hips too wobbly', 'serve too weak'.

* * *

An hour later Horio came rushing into the laundry room yelling for Sakuno. "Coach Ryuzaki collapsed by the courts!"

She dropped the box of clean towels that she finished folding and ran over to see an ambulance speed away. The team didn't speak much on the way to the hospital. Oishi purchased some flowers at the gift shop on the way to grandmother's room, but everyone was still lost in their own thoughts about the coach's collapse. It wasn't until they were all gathered around the hospital bed seeing the coach for themselves that they believed she was going to be fine after some rest.

"You should not have taken time away from valuable training just to visit me here. This invitational team is a once in a lifetime opportunity. There are only seven team members to be chosen and at least three had better be from Seigaku. Do not waste your time visiting me, is that clear?"

Sakuno watched the crestfallen boys leave the room quietly. "You didn't have to chase them away."

"I'm not pulling them down just because I collapsed. You shouldn't visit either. I know you want to support the team so stay with them work hard."

That evening she took her notebook and pen with her to watch Fuji. If she showed her notes of his strengths and weaknesses to Inui maybe he'd give her some advice. Sakuno tried to be as detailed as possible however half the time he was a whirling blur that stopped occasionally with both arms outstretched and head down. For the past two evenings he mostly volleyed with no complicated moves so why did he pick tonight to practice his triple counters and underhanded cut serve? Hitting the ball that hard ought to require intense concentration not a calm smile, by the time he took a break for water she was feeling frustrated with the contradiction of Syusuke Fuji.

* * *

During breakfast the next morning Sakuno thought of another way to help support the team so after taking a basket of balls out to the courts she decided to stop by the infirmary to ask the physical therapist if there was anything helpful she could learn about the initial treatment of sports injuries other than normal first aid. An hour and a half later Sakuno remembered that she was supposed to take towels to the training room and knew that Tomoka and An were going to be angry that she skipped out on her duties. She also realized that she no longer had her notebook with her.

Needing a short cut back to the laundry room, Sakuno went through the dorm instead of around it. Laughter came from the lounge area and as she passed by the entrance she heard unfamiliar voices.

"No way An-chan owns a notebook covered in pink flowers and butterflies."

"You know the obnoxious one would have Ryoma-sama all over it."

"That leaves what's-her-name with the long braids."

"So who do you think this guy is who flows smoothly from one attack to the next?"

"That could be any one of us, what else does it say about him?"

"He swirls like a whirlpool remaining calm and serene while something-I-can't-make-out crashes against his opponent."

"Let me see that. Why is she comparing this guy to whirlpools and ocean waves?"

"Look what she wrote at the bottom."

"Hey, Oishi-san! We were reading that!"

"What's with him?"

Why did things like this happen to her so often? She was frozen in place unable to move and unable to think beyond the fact that they were reading her notes. Sakuno ought to run before anyone saw her here. Oishi had it now so it was safe. Knowing she'd get it back didn't make her feet obey; they were still stuck in place on the old worn tile. She was going to be caught. Did she really want those boys to see her here right now? Why weren't her feet running away?

"Oh, there you are Ruyzaki-san. I believe this is yours." Oishi held the notebook out for her to take. He didn't expect a response from the shy girl so he didn't wait for one before admonishing his teammate "I can't believe you think this is so funny, Fuji. Have you no shame?"

* * *

Serving lunch was just awful since she didn't know who else had been in the lounge. To make matters worse she found herself volunteering to serve lunch and wash dishes to make up for skipping most of her morning chores. She carefully ladled teriyaki onto each tray that passed in front of her while smiling politely and keeping her eyes down. If she didn't make eye contact she'd get through this easier.

"Inui-juice is nothing to play around with."

"Do you really think he's targeting her?"

"I don't even want to know how he got her notebook."

"What do you think about it, Chibi?"

"Her data is mada, mada, dane."

They sounded upset about someone. They needed to concentrate on their skills, not worry about…Inui-juice…her notebook…her. Oh no, grandmother didn't want them distracted and specifically told her to work hard supporting them. Now what was she going to do? Sakuno was relieved when Horio took over her part of the serving line so she could hide out at the sink washing dishes.

Washing all the dishes by herself made Sakuno late getting the towels washed, now An and Tomoka were going to be upset with her as well as the team.

"Oh, there you are Tomoka. Please don't wait for me to get to the tennis courts. Just leave my half of the balls and I'll get it done as soon as I finish putting the towels in the store room."

"Okay, if that's what you want, but make sure not to stay out too late this time."

"I promise."

Tonight the sunset reflected against the gathering clouds catching her eye to stop her in the middle of the walkway and admire the florescent reds and oranges. It was so beautiful she waited until the red faded to a pinkish gray before putting her basket of balls in the storage shed. As she turned off the light and closed the door Sakuno realized how quiet it was. Fuji wasn't practicing.

"Do you know why half the team is upset?" A low soft voice indicated he was right behind her.

"Ah! Fuji-senpai, you startled me." She took a breath and felt calmer seeing his gentle smile. "Coach Hanamura asked me to take notes for her the other day and I'm sure I did a bad job." She dropped her eyes to the side "I thought I could support the team better if I took good notes so I asked Inui-senpai for some juice to help me, but that made Kaido-senpai and Kawamura-senpai mad." She looked down at her feet "I practiced on my own then I dropped my notebook somewhere between the cafeteria and the physical therapist." She moved her gaze left "Oishi returned it to me although it made him upset as well. Lately Momoshiro-senpai frowns at me when we see each other" She moved her gaze right "I tried so hard to support the team, yet now I'm just a distraction."

"Why did you choose to watch me? Why compare me to the ocean?"

"Everyone else wants to become stronger to beat a rival, yet Fuji-senpai seemed to be having fun. Ocean waves are very strong and also fun not to mention white whales-"

"Come with me."

Sakuno followed him around the corner to the edge of the cement slab and took his racket when he handed it to her. Fuji turned the racket slightly and placed his hand over hers.

"I'm going to show you how fun it is."

Sakuno felt him brush against her back as he bounced a ball once then hit it toward the wall. Fuji's light swings alternated between forehand and back hand several times then he stopped although she was reluctant to release the racket. It felt good to have the ball not go flying over the top of the wall or worse, land behind her.

"That's enough since you didn't warm up." He took the racket from her "Do you want to play again tomorrow night?"

"Yes, please." She bowed politely.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Sakuno! Horio told me that Captain Tezuka showed up a little while ago to take over training for your grandmother's group. We have to decorate the cafeteria because the other coaches are letting us have a welcoming party. I'm going to gather up some streamers and paper for a banner sign so meet me there in about half an hour."

Sakuno got wrapped up in another discussion with the physical therapist and ended up being fifteen minutes late getting to the cafeteria.

"Sorry I'm late, Tomoka. Would you like me to help you with the banner or with the balloons?"

"I didn't find any balloons so you can start curling the streamers then color that part of the banner."

"Alright."

"The guys are going to have a talent show after we eat. Do you think Ryoma will sing or do some type of trick?"

"I don't know what he's good at other than tennis."

"So why do you keep disappearing?"

"I've been talking with the dietician and physical therapist to find new ways to support the team."

"Well, for you that's probably a better idea than cheering."

All the players seemed to enjoy the welcoming party. A few groups sang and Sakuno thought they did a very good job. Fuji pulled a tablecloth from under two place settings and Ryoma sang with a couple of the guys from the team. It went well and Tezuka enjoyed it which made Sakuno and Tomoka happy as they took down the decorations and cleaned up the cafeteria later.

The next morning Sakuno passed by the office and noticed Coach Sakaki writing the name Kikumaru on the dry-erase board. Eiji was the first one chosen to be on the invitational team and that afternoon Sanada and Atobe were also chosen. While serving dinner she tried to think of some way to encourage the team, something she could do to congratulate Eiji and help Oishi boost their morale.

"Um, Horio-san, do you know if the team is getting together this evening?"

"Yes, the captain called a meeting for all the Seigaku regulars in the dorm lounge."

"Thank you."

It didn't take long for her to get permission to make a special snack since she chose to make something quick and simple leaving no mess behind in the kitchen. Sakuno arrived at the dorm while everyone was still in the lounge.

"Good evening everyone. I brought a small snack to congratulate Kikumaru-senpai and I hope more of you make the team."

"Thank you, Ryuzaki-san."

Everyone reached for a lemon slice quickly leaving her with an empty plate.

"Good night everyone and please do your best tomorrow." Sakuno bowed and left smiling to herself.

"I like her support." Eiji licked honey from his fingers "It's better than hearing 'Eiji-sama!' every day."

"Mada,mada,dane."

Momoshiro rubbed his knuckles across Ryoma's head as Tezuka mentioned that someone ought to have walked Ryuzaki-san back since it was dark already.

"Fuji left right behind her." Inui adjusted his glasses and took a small notebook from his back pocket.

Tezuka noticed that half of the team frowned at this although he knew she was perfectly safe with him.

It felt good to show her support and know the gesture was appreciated so Sakuno was completely preoccupied with other things she might do for the team as her feet went from one circle of light to another along the deserted walkway.

"It's too late for you to be out alone." A low voice soft as velvet was directly behind her.

"Oh, Fuji-senpai, you startled me." She wished he'd say something else just to hear that deep gentle voice. It was unexpected coming from a boy who was only a head taller than her.

"Tomorrow will be our last chance to play again here."

"I will have time after 10:00 if that is all right with you."

After finishing her breakfast shift Sakuno headed to the training room with a few towels. Two voices stopped her just outside the open door; she didn't want to eavesdrop, yet she didn't want to skip any more duties although interrupting seemed so rude.

"His indifference is disappointing."

"Well, it isn't your decision, Momo."

"I'm not the only one that wanted to see them together."

"Why does it have to be him? He obviously doesn't feel the same way so why not someone a little older, but who is interested?"

"Why are we even talking about this? I asked you about Kirihara, An, don't change the subject again."

"You really don't think he's changed since the championships do you, Momo?"

"I haven't seen any evidence." There was a slight pause "Is he why you haven't spent any time with me until now?"

Skipping this particular job was suddenly a very good idea. Sakuno returned the towels to the store room, grabbed two water bottles and went around to the cement slab to wait for Fuji. She began a few warm-up exercises and stretches since she was early, stopping when she heard a noise behind her.

"I'm sorry, Fuji-senpai, I didn't bring my racket."

"I planned to use mine, anyway." He motioned for her to stand in front of him.

Like last time he wrapped his hand around hers to indicate the proper grip then put his feet near hers.

"Put your feet against mine and bend your knees a little."

Sakuno felt like she was surrounded by her upperclassman once she was in proper position. She also learned that two tennis balls fit into his front left pocket as he alternated between forehand and backhand hitting the same cinderblock each time.

When he suddenly caught the ball with his left hand and let go of her right hand she looked up at him wondering if they were done already. Fuji's eyes were opened in an expression she was only used to seeing when he figured out how to defeat an opponent then he looked at her and she noticed that his eyes were the same shade of blue as the picture of Mount Fiji on her calendar. Sakuno only saw them from the sidelines before and was so absorbed she didn't hear what he said.

"I'll take that as a yes." He gave the ball to her and asked "Underhand or overhand?"

"Um, overhand I guess." He was talking about serving, wasn't he?

"We'll practice without jumping so I don't step on your foot."

He wrapped his right hand over hers and slipped the fingers of his left hand through her left and began bouncing the ball. Fuji threw the ball straight up and swung before she stopped thinking about his eyes and concentrated on serving. It took several repetitions for her to become accustomed to tossing the ball straight up as well as the amount of force he used.

Later in the laundry room she looked at her hands thinking of the way Fuji placed his fingers between hers to toss the ball and the way his right hand wrapped around her grip on the handle. His way was so much better than when Ryoma tried to teach her and kept poking the back of her knees with his racket.

"Hey, Sakuno, where have you been? Coach Sakaki is going to announce the remaining team members during his closing speech. Come on!" Tomoka grabbed her hand and ran to the front steps of the school.

She was glad that Fuji made the team, yet was puzzled that Ryoma was only a stand-by. He was a better player than Kirihara so why did Coach Sakaki put him on the bench? Her grandmother was going to be thrilled with Eiji, Fuji and Ryoma anyway.

* * *

On the bus ride back Captain Tezuka had asked her if she needed to be walked home while Coach was in the hospital. She politely declined any assistance because everyone on the team had to work so hard. Sakuno was perfectly capable of getting home without a babysitter.

Sakuno stopped by the tennis courts after school the next day to see if there were any messages for her to take to her grandmother; however Inui reminded her that Coach Ryuzaki had forbidden them to visit as he poured something thick and mauve into several plastic cups.

"I already explained our new training menu and I will visit with her on Saturday to discuss the team's progress." Captain Tezuka eyed the cups suspiciously as he walked passed them.

"Hello, Ryuzaki-san" Syusuke took two cups nodding in thanks to Inui "If you have a moment I'd like to ask for a favor." He handed one of the cups to her and turned toward the nearest bench.

Sakuno sat next to her upper-classman and looked at the odd concoction. It smelled something like artificially flavored medicine, not something that she enjoyed tasting. He sat next to her watching the first year boys carrying balls to the practice courts as he took another sip.

"What was it you wanted to ask, Fuji-senpai?"

"I'm hoping that this isn't too much of an imposition for you, Ryuzaki-san. You see, this week my sister won't be able to pick me up until late so I won't get much dinner or have enough time to do my homework. Will it be too annoying for you if I did my homework at your house since my sister can pick me up there sooner than driving all the way to school?"

"Yes, of course, Fuji-sempai." It was the perfect way to show her support for Fuji-sempai. Knowing he needed to rest and eat well in order to do well at the invitational she thought of various snacks to fix for him as they headed to her house that afternoon.

"Please make yourself at home while I prepare some tea." She gestured toward the living room then bowed quickly before heading to the kitchen. Sakuno started the rice cooker, heated water for tea and then searched through the refrigerator for a snack that the training camp dietician might approve.

His text book and notes were spread out on the low kotatsu table by the time she came back with green tea and edamame. She gave him an extra plate for the soybean pods then retrieved her own backpack from the front entrance by the shoe rack. After finishing her history assignment she grabbed his empty cup and both plates "The restroom is at the end of the hall if you need to use it, Fuji-sempai. I'll be in the kitchen for a little while."

"Thank you for the snack Ryuzaki-san. It was very nice of you." His gentle smile reappeared as he looked up from his math problems.

Sakuno decided to make sweet and sour chicken for dinner because grandma still had some sauce left and got busy chopping carrots, peppers and an onion. She didn't notice Fuji standing in the doorway until she turned toward the refrigerator.

"Will you allow me to help you, Ryuzaki-san?" He pulled the stool out from under the counter by the sink and sat next to her work area apparently intent on watching her.

She was a little flustered by his proximity despite spending some time with him during the training camp; she recalled the way his hand covered hers as she held his racket and felt her face grow warm. "This is an easy dish, Fuji-sempai, just rest from Inui-senpai's new training."

They didn't speak much again until after dinner when she declined Fuji's offer to wash the dishes "It's to thank you for your hospitality, Ryuzaki-san. Is this the way you speak to an upper classman who is being polite?"

He made her feel like she was being rude when she was only trying to treat him like a guest. Sakuno bowed with her hands clasped together as she apologized and conceded to drying the dishes for him. His sister knocked on the door at eight and she and Fuji both thanked Sakuno again for allowing him to impose upon her.

Sakuno didn't mind the intrusion at all since it was pleasant spending time with him even if it was doing homework and washing dishes. She began the assigned reading for her science class; however the house seemed a bit too quiet now that he was gone so she turned the radio on low.

Wednesday morning Sakuno woke up earlier than usual to clean the living room and bath room to make him feel more comfortable this afternoon. Fuji met her at the front gate in front after school instead of the courts and he seemed to be tired so they walked together in silence after their initial greetings.

Sakuno dropped her backpack as soon as she unlocked the door then headed to the kitchen while Fuji set his back pack by the kotatsu table. When she came back with a protein smoothie for him he thanked her just as he had yesterday and went back to writing what appeared to be a research paper. She also had a paper to write for her Japanese literature class and twenty geometry problems.

Steamed vegetables and rice seemed like the best choice for dinner since it was easy for her and there would be fewer dishes to wash. When he joined her in the kitchen offering to help she was prepared with a banana, orange and apple for him to cut up to keep him from watching her and making her nervous. She glanced over at him every few seconds surprised that he peeled the apple and orange so well.

"I saved the extra pineapple juice from yesterday if you want to pour it over the fruit."

"We finished dinner and dessert at the same time." Fuji smiled at Sakuno.

She smiled back; it was nice having him in the kitchen with her even if their meal was very simple. After the dishes were cleaned and put away she went back to the living room to finish her geometry while he sat on the couch with another text book.

His scuffed white tennis shoe distracted Sakura from problem nineteen because he wore low socks that didn't cover the ankle exposed by his uniform slacks. She's seen him in tennis shorts countless times and knew exactly what his legs looked like underneath the school uniform. At training camp she'd even caught a glimpse of what was under the white shirt. He wasn't smiling; she knew from the way his brows were drawn together so it didn't matter that the thick book concealed the rest of his face. His left eyebrow arched drawing her attention to his straight brown hair. It was too long for school standards, yet he didn't seem to get in trouble for it. Sakuno wondered if his wispy bangs were as soft as they looked or if they were as coarse as she expected boys' hair to be.

"Saa, if you use the same procedure for nineteen as you did with problem fifteen you should be able to find the degree of the angle." Syusuke drew her attention back to her homework wondering if the shy sweet first year had really just checked him out.

Sakuno's eyes instantly returned to her paper and she tried to finish the problem quickly despite how hot her face felt. At least he thought she had trouble with her homework and didn't know she'd behaved so inappropriately toward a respected upperclassman and genius of the regular tennis team.

* * *

Saturday morning Sakuno met Tomoka at the street courts. The invitational was tomorrow so Sakuno hoped few players would be there giving her a chance to practice. Tomoka waved to An who was stretching with Momoshiro before their weekly game then took a new can of balls out of her bag "Sakuno, you can serve first."

"I will do my best." Sakuno finished her warm-up exercises and took one of Tomoka's balls. She got into position and pretended Fuji was standing over her. She put her feet next to his imaginary ones bounced the ball twice then threw it up with his left hand laced in hers and swung with his right hand wrapped around hers.

Tomoka was shocked when the ball flew over the net and ran to where it bounced. She didn't know how or when her best friend figured out how to hit, but it was much more fun playing against her now. By the time they finished their second set some of the regulars and a few guys from St Rudolf's were waiting to use the court so the girls stepped aside for them.

Syusuke Fuji and Kunimitsu Tezuka arrived as Tomoka headed for the vending machines to get something for them to drink. Sakuno bowed to them in greeting when they reached the top of the steps on the opposite side from the bleachers where their teammates were waiting. "Fuji-senpai, thank you so much for helping me to play better. Tennis is much more fun now."

"You're welcome, Ryuzaki-san. Thanks to you I also have something that makes tennis more fun."

Kaido, Momoshiro and Kawamura wondered what Fuji said to Sakuno that made her blush as she yelped and ran off. It was easy to fluster the coach's granddaughter, but when Fuji's sharp blue eyes followed the girl the three did not trust his motives.

Captain Tezuka couldn't pin point exactly why the team seemed to be dividing. Kikumaru, Echizen and Fuji were concentrating on the Junior Invitational Tournament, but something had been off ever since Fuji began walking Ryuzaki-san home. He asked Oishi to walk with the girl until Coach was out of the hospital which seemed to solve the problem.

* * *

Ariake Coliseum had a retractable roof so it was the tennis stadium chosen for the tournament; rain was expected. Sakuno sat between Momoshiro-senpai and Tomoka watching the American tennis machine try to seal Fuji-senpai's tsubame gaeshi. His higuma otoshi won't work against this opponent and the hakugei requires wind power, not possible since the roof was closed. Sakuno gripped her knees wondering what he'd do without his triple counters. It was a long difficult game, but then Arnold forgot to avoid giving Fuji a smash shot who promptly used it to win with a higuma otoshi.

Coach Sakaki chose Kirihara Akaya to play against Kevin Smith in the singles 1 match. Kirihara began the match with Kevin, a short blonde who wanted to face Ryoma because Ryoma's father defeated his own dad so easily. Kirihara slammed into a net pole to keep from losing a point which injured his right shoulder too much to continue. Ryoma had to finish the match. Kevin spent a lot of time researching and mastering all of Ryoma's moves so it was almost like playing against himself. How was Ryoma going to defeat Ryoma? With cyclone smash and knowing that phantom balls have no shadow.

* * *

When Coach Ryuzaki is released from the hospital the team planned a surprise party for her. Sakuno picked her up and was supposed to take a taxi back to their house and then come to the school after about half an hour. Kaoru followed the taxi to keep the rest of the team informed of the coach's progress via hand held radio which was a fortunate precaution when Coach Ryuzaki fouled up the party preparations by telling the driver to drop them off at the school. When Kaido updated the team on their new arrival time all decorations are removed from the practice court and everyone ducked for cover.

Tomoka almost blew the surprise by showing up at the court with a bouquet of roses; however Sakura quickly made up a lie that the tennis team regulars were trying to expand their skills by incorporating other sports to create new power shots. Sakuno isn't sure whether she's more shocked that she lied to her grandmother or that the coach didn't catch on to her fib.

Oishi turned to the rest of the team who obviously didn't want to participate in other sports even for an hour. "Ryuzaki-san is right. We all need to create new power shots and if other sports can help us then this is as good a time as any."

"Then we have no choice." Momoshiro was still decidedly unenthused despite the fact that the girl was right.

"Yup." Ryoma nodded as they all disbursed leaving Oishi to set up the tables and hang decorations from the chain link fence with Tomoka.

After checking out the badminton, basketball, and table tennis teams Coach Ryuzaki let Sakuno know that she already figured out that the tennis team was planning a party for her. This was the first time her granddaughter lied to her so she let it slide because it was for the team. Maybe they really will create new power shots after today. She loudly proclaimed the need to rest in the teacher's lounge for an hour giving them time to prepare. Tezuka showed up a little late and let them know he was now fully healed and was going to play in the national tournament.

The coach and captain decided to have another ranking tournament for the tennis club to see who qualified to be a regular for the national championship. Tomoka and Sakuno arrived after the first matches to cheer for the nine players that had been regulars until now. According to Inui's notes one of the regulars would have to be dropped.

Fuji saw the girls sitting by the ranking board and invited them to watch Oishi and Kawamura. Sakuno stood by Ryoma at the chain link fence listening to the other player's assessment of Oishi's strategy. In three years of being in the tennis club Kawamura had yet to defeat the doubles champion, but he did it that afternoon.

Ryoma requested a forfeit during his match with Momoshiro. It would count as Momo's victory, but it made the second year angry enough to jump over the net and lift his best friend by the collar. The team ran over to separate them, Fuji grabbing Momoshiro's arm and Eiji held him back while Kaido stepped between the two best friends and splashed Momo with his water bottle.

The first year spent the next few hours re-thinking his decision not to go to America to play in the US Open with a little help from the captain. Momoshiro talked with the coach about Ryoma's forfeit and whether he should play in the nationals. The two friends decide to play a rematch and although Ryoma won he decided to play in the US Open instead.

Fuji looked at his wet face in the mirror above the bathroom sink. "Everyone calls me genius and yet I still can't think of another counter." He asked his older sister to drop him off at Tokyo Tennis Club so he could use their serving machine. When the other machines became available he used all three at once trying to prepare for moves that might not even be humanly possible.

Sakuno watched the sunrise at the local park thinking about Ryoma leaving. Tomoka joined her and the perpetual cheerleader reminded them both of the fantastic opportunity this was for him and the fact that he was only participating in a tournament, not moving away forever.

Kaido went to visit Ryoma and challenged him to a game using the court in his back yard. Kaoru didn't want the kid leaving Japan without tasting defeat first and didn't hesitate to use boomerang snake. When Ryoma's racket went flying out of his hand Viper walked away saying he'd save the rest of the match for when Ryoma returned.

At the airport Tomoka, Horio and Katou began cheering loudly for him from the top level on the concourse so Oishi ran up the escalator to stop them from irritating other travelers. Horio and Katou gave him various messages from the team, Kawamura gave him special recipe soy sauce that got Inui's attention, Momoshiro handed him his favorite grip tape and Inui decided to share all the data he'd collected on the first year since the day he joined the tennis club. Fuji mentioned that if they took those notebooks to other schools they'd get a lot of money and everyone gaped at him.

"I was only kidding."

Sakuno didn't arrive until 3:04 and thought she'd missed his flight until she heard a familiar voice.

"You came too late. Planning is bad. Your hair is too long."

She faced Ryoma even though she was blushing from his alternative to mada, mada, dane. "The length of my hair is-" She was interrupted by Eiji whistling at them.

Kikumaru took his fingers from his mouth when the pair turned toward him. Momoshiro wiggled his eyebrows as Inui wrote in a notebook. Fuji said that it was good Sakuno made it while Kawamura yelled for Echizen to get closer.

Sakuno tried to explain why she was late, but it was hard to hear over the team's catcalls. "You said the other day that you wanted that tennis ball, the one I drew your face on, so I made this for you."

Ryoma looked at the words No. 1! Nationals no.1 "It's not about the nationals though." This wasn't what he wanted from her.

"It's about the whole world and you being number one."

Well if she was going to put it that way he'd accept it. "Thank you."

He was going to the US Open and no one from the girls' team will practice with her. There was a whole world in between them. "Fight, Ryoma!" Sakuno called out.

He held the ball up in response as he boarded the plane.

Fuji walked out of the airport with the rest of the team until Tezuka stopped him "You won't hold a grudge, will you?" Not that the captain actually thought Fuji planned to sell Echizen's information, but this might cause another rift in the team.

The genius cupped his right elbow in his left palm resting the edge of a finger against his chin as though seriously thinking about the captain's question. "A person's first crush fades with time and first love doesn't last. That is not what I want."

* * *

At the national tournament Ryoma arrived from America just in time to play against Higa middle school and had a difficult time defeating his opponent in singles 1. Fuji and Kawamura played doubles and won at the last moment with Fuji's fourth counter kagerou zutsumi, dragon fly, which returned the ball with no spin.

Atobe arrogantly bet Ryoma that he'd shave his head if he lost. Ryoma took Tezuka's position as the team's pillar of strength during his match with Atobe and then approached him with hair clippers despite protests from the Hyotei team. Atobe grabbed the clippers and cut his long grey hair because he was a man of his word no matter what.

Fuji revealed the final counter during his singles 3 game, hecatoncheires no monban, gatekeeper, which Shiraishi, Shitenhouji's Captain hit easily. None of his return shots went over the net though until the score was 6-5. Fuji lost to someone other than Tezuka for the first time.

Seigaku faced Rikkai Dai in the finals instead on Hyotei as they had been expecting. Vice-Captain Sanada was against Tezuka, a match everyone had been waiting three years to see. After a long grueling battle Tezuka lost to Sanada when the ball balanced on the top of the net for a minute before falling backward.

There wasn't much noise at Kawamura Sushi Restaurant that evening because there was nothing to celebrate; it was the last time they'd all play together as a team.


	3. Chapter 3

Sakuno worked hard on the girls' tennis team while Ryoma continued to be the pillar of support for the boys' team. She arrived at the Shikinomori Sports Park with Tomoka Sunday morning to practice on one of the warm-up courts rather than at the public courts where Fudomine, Rikkai Dai and St Rudolf's hung out. An and Momoshiro still played there, but Sakuno didn't like so many people watching her on the off chance she actually got to use a court. Since Ryoma still practiced with his dad in their back yard Tomoka didn't care which courts they used.

They passed by a crowd from Seiritsu Gakuen high school in their navy blazers with a gold shield on the pocket. Even the tennis uniform had the same crest and when the girls recognized Atobe Keigo with his grey hair grown out from his haircut at nationals they weren't interested in waiting there to find out which school was represented by the team in green.

"Come on Sakuno, looks like we're stuck with the wall." Tomoka pulled her by the arm not wanting to waste any more practice time.

The cinderblock wall was high enough to practice power serves and had a faded white line painted at net height. Sakuno liked that hedges grew on each side making it feel more secluded as they took turns hitting the ball. Tomoka hit with relatively long sweeps of her racket working on spin shots which Sakuno used all her agility to return. When Tomoka grabbed the ball for them to switch techniques they heard an odd noise behind them.

"Sakuno-chan needs to jump higher, nya." Eiji winked at her playfully.

The girl blushed and both of them bowed to Kikumaru, Oishi, Fuji and Tezuka in green and white tennis uniforms, which were apparently from Hibiya high school. "W-we did not realize that we were in your way. P-please excuse us." Sakuno said to her shoes while Tomoka headed to the bench where they put their racket cases.

Fuji's right hand rested on the strap over his shoulder and his left remained in his pocket as he stepped forward. "I see you've begun wearing shorts under your tennis skirt."

Eiji threw an arm around Oishi trying to stifle his laughter; Sakuno turned a bright red and didn't seem to be breathing.

"Fuji! You can't say things like that." Oishi chastised his teammate "Show more restraint when talking to Ryuzaki-san."

Fuji set his bag on the end of the bench "To apologize I'll teach her how to return her friend's spin shots."

"It would be better if I helped her with her agility." Eiji sounded more serious although he was still half draped on Oishi.

"No, Sakuno-chan shouldn't dangle from light poles." Fuji stopped at the baseline then looked at Tezuka as if asking permission even though he wasn't their team captain now.

"Make sure you eat something during the lunch break." Tezuka left to join the rest of the team followed by Oishi and Eiji who glanced back to see Fuji put his hand over Sakuno's to personally demonstrate the proper swing angle. They looked at each other then back at Fuji as Sakuno smiled up at him apparently glad he stayed behind.

Oishi faced Tezuka's back "Perhaps we made a false assumption."

"It's easy to misjudge a man like Fuji, nya."

Tomoka didn't mind the intrusion because it was much more fun to work on spin shots without having to search for the ball in the hedges so often.

After a few minutes Fuji suggested they take a water break. Tomoka headed for the vending machines like he hoped she would, but he stopped Sakuno giving her his other water bottle. "Do you still watch the boys' team practice?"

Why would he ask her about the team? "They normally finish about the same time I do since I began working on my endurance."

"Are you and your friend still eating lunch with Echizen, Horio and Katou?" Fuji stopped smiling.

Why did he care about that? "Yes, once a week or so."

"Are you and Echizen still the same?"

"His teasing doesn't bother me anymore."

"Does that mean you like him teasing you now?" Fuji hoped she didn't catch on to why he was asking.

"He thinks it's harmless and funny, but I haven't cooked anything for him since regionals last year."

"When you gave him that ball with number one on it when he left for the US Open I thought you meant it as a confession."

What? Why? "I said it meant the whole world and Ryoma-kun is number one. That's how much was in between us."

That was close enough to what he wanted to hear. "I'll see you next time." He left to catch up with his team deciding to spend more Sunday mornings at Shikinomori Sports Park.

* * *

Tomoka was standing with Horio and Katou cheering for Seigaku as the boys faced Rakkaku. She didn't notice when Sakuno disappeared during the doubles one match and found her later lying on the bench closest to the cinderblock practice wall repeatedly lifting two water bottles while watching Fuji Syusuke practice his special serves. She was about to interrupt to tell Sakuno it was time for her to watch her younger brothers and berate her for not supporting the team when Fuji suddenly stopped and walked past the balls on the ground to kneel by her best friend.

"That's enough for today." He took the bottles from her as she stood up.

"Oh, alright." Sakuno grabbed her bag and approached Fuji who was no longer smiling. "Thank you for showing me that exercise, Fuji-san" She bowed to him "I'll see you next time."

"Saa…next Sunday morning, Sakuno-chan, I'll teach you how to hit a low skidding slice."

"If it isn't too much of an imposition now that you're in high school. Please lend me your guidance, Fuji-san." Hmm, if I remember correctly he likes wasabi with his sushi and sauce for his grilled meat. Yes, I think I can make a lunch he'll like next week.

* * *

Rikkai Dai had a strong girls' team and yet the captain decided to have Sakuno and Tomoka play doubles two. Tomoka took the net while Sakuno stayed near the baseline because even when Ryoma tried to help her play better last year she hit it over the wall more than once. The captain spoke up as they approached the coach's bench on the side lines. "Ryuzaki, Osakada, good idea to serve in the normal formation then switch to Australian formation to receive. Thanks for your hard work."

"Yes." They spoke and bowed in unison then joined their teammates in the first row of bleachers.

"That was really close, Sakuno." Tomoka put her racket in its case.

"Yes, we almost lost again. We really need to work on our synchronization."

"We're moving together better than we were before. I wonder if Mom will let me bring my brothers so we can have longer practices."

"Maybe she can drop them off with us instead of having you leave early."

"Sakuno, we'll probably face Fudomine if we win." Tomoka wasn't sure she wanted to face Tachibana An after all the practice she's had against Momoshiro and Kirihara.

"Probably, I can't see them losing to anyone but Hyotei."

* * *

Tezuka and Fuji were at Shikinomori Sports Park to watch the match between two of their rival schools, Omori and Kamata. By noon they'd seen enough to satisfy their curiosity and decided to visit Takashi at Kawamura Sushi for lunch; however, they were intercepted by a girl wearing a familiar green sailor uniform as they passed by the vending machines.

"Ryuzaki-san." Tezuka recognized the shy girl even with her hair loose.

"Sakuno-chan, you aren't practicing today?"

"No Fuji-san, our regionals start Friday." She hesitated clutching the box in her hands "I thought your school might be playing today."

He smiled gently at her nervousness "If you came to watch us play you're a week early."

"Oh, then I don't think I'll be able to make it to your match." How was she going to get through this with Captain Tezuka, um Tezuka-senpai…um, -san…standing right there? "P-please accept this." She held the box out to Fuji while keeping her head down as if she could hide her blush behind a thin fringe.

Fuji placed his hands over her grip on the hopefully homemade bento "Saa…Is Sakuno-chan only giving me this to make sure I eat properly or is it meant to thank me for helping her with tennis?"

Why was he making this so difficult? Why did she put herself through this again? Didn't she learn anything from the last time with Ryoma? She looked up just enough to notice that the buttons on his navy uniform were imprinted with the school's crest. He was a first year in high school now; this was probably inappropriate. Fuji Syusuke wasn't letting go, he wasn't Echizen Ryoma. "I like you, Fuji-san."

"Enough to call me Syusuke, Sakuno?"

It felt as if all of the blood in her body was suddenly pounding in her head. The moment he took the lunch Sakuno ran back to the bus stop not knowing or caring if she had answered him.

"Was that necessary?" Tezuka looked sideways at the tennis genius as they resumed walking out of the sports park.

"How can there be trust without good communication from both people? Synchronization requires trust, communication and knowing-"

"Fuji, if you're applying doubles' principles be aware you will have to apologize for any errors."

"Yes." He glanced at the bento "I have to be cautious now that the ball is in my court."

Tezuka agreed "Don't let your guard down."

* * *

"Hello, Ryuzaki residence." Sumire answered the phone wondering if something happened to a Seigaku team member or if it was Tomoka.

"Good evening Coach Ryuzaki, this is Fuji Syusuke. I'd like to ask Sakuno out to a movie if she's available."

"Oh, I thought you might be calling, Fuji-san." She looked around to make sure her granddaughter wasn't close enough to hear "As a second year in middle school she's too young to date; however she is allowed to spend Sundays with her friends as long as she is home before dinner."

"Oh, well, thank you Ryuzaki-san. Have a good evening." Fuji headed to his room with a frown. He wanted to do more with Sakuno than practice. He opened his window and sat on the sill with his right arm propped on a bent knee to contemplate other options.

* * *

Sakuno thought she saw wispy brown hair in the stands during the doubles two match with Fudomine and wondered what Inui's odds were that he'd be here. Probably not good considering she ran away when he mentioned calling him by his first name; there was no reason for a boy in high school to watch a middle school girls' team. There was no reason for the fourth ranked junior tennis player to be here except maybe….

Tomoka and Sakuno were better at hitting the ball where their opponents couldn't reach so the score was even by the third set and as they switched sides Sakuno was sure it was him in a blue uniform instead of the white short sleeved dress shirt she was used to. Tomoka noticed her partner was happier on this side. "What happened to make you smile like that, Sakuno?"

"I was thinking how much fun tennis is. Tomoka, let's have fun during this set."

"Fight Seigaku!" Tomoka yelled returning the serve with more force to her customary spin.

Fuji waited until the pair joined the rest of the team behind the short wall before moving closer. He watched Sakuno observe the next match clutching her hands to her chest in worry when the current players ran into trouble. It didn't take long for her to look over to where he had been sitting and he felt a little guilty at her sad expression as she eyed the exit. He stood up to get her attention then smiled softly at her obvious relief. The girl was absolutely adorable.

Sakuno stood a little apart from her teammates wishing he'd join her and also hoping he didn't because she had no idea what to say. Fuji hesitated to move any closer considering how fast she ran from him last week, yet by the time the singles one match was over he was one row behind the team.

"You're more accustomed to being at the wall aren't you, Fuji-san?"

"We can see from here as well." Fuji stood next to Sakuno behind the team spending the last match critiquing the player's skill and strategy with her.

* * *

Hibiya high school tennis team finished their last match for the day in the regional competition and had two more schools to face before it was over. All eight regular players were sweaty and tired. Some were sore, a couple had ice packs on their elbows or knees, and none of them really wanted to deal with the fan-girls pressed against the chain-link fence. They silently walked past the crowd of girls who gave up trying to get their attention by the time the team reached the parking lot.

Kikumaru Eiji scaled a security camera pole looking for their ride and saw a familiar girl. "Hey Oishi, you're never going to guess who's here."

Oishi Shuichiro looked up at his doubles partner and smiled "We ought to warn him."

"Nya, he won't be surprised anyway." Eiji doubted he'd ever see a flustered Fuji again.

Sakuno came running through the crowd all red and panting as she clutched a cloth wrapped box. She was still in her tennis uniform from her match and her twin braids swung around her shoulders as she quickly debated which direction to go. Her eyes lit up when she spotted the young man she was looking for with one hand on the tennis bag strap over his shoulder as he stood next to a bench with Tezuka.

"Fuji-san, I hope you don't mind that instead of your favorites I made something that you should have after a strenuous match. Please be sure to eat a little at least." Sakuno gave him a brief shallow bow and held out a bento.

"Thank you Sakuno." Fuji accepted the box with a slight smile. "I hope you didn't have to run all this way for me."

"Please do your best tomorrow." Sakuno's eyes suddenly grew wide "I'm late meeting grandmother!" then disappeared into the thinning crowd.

Fuji opened the box to see she included Kawamura sushi and extra chopsticks "Would you like to try some?" He offered the extra chopsticks to his closest teammates.

"You don't mind sharing her with us?" Oishi hesitated to take a pair of chopstick although Eiji already snapped his apart.

"This," he gestured to the chicken stir fry and steamed rice, "is hers so you are welcome to have the sushi."

"This must be Taka-san's. I can taste his burning." Eiji swallowed to hide a smile.

"Did you take Fuji's wasabi?" Tezuka tried a roll.

"Both are too hot for me."

"Stop teasing." Oishi mock frowned at his best friend "This is as good as always."

"Our ride is here." Tezuka said goodbye to the Captain while the others threw away their chopsticks. Although they had a difficult win apparently the team only celebrated winning Regionals and Nationals so it was nice to have a reminder of Kawamura. "Please thank Ryuzaki-san for her thoughtfulness."

Fuji put half of the chicken and rice in the refrigerator to eat after washing his sister's car. He owed her for driving him to the other side of town every week. Yuuta came home from hanging out with his teammates and thought sister left some lunch for him. Fuji walked into the kitchen to find his younger brother with the empty bento and frowned "You ate it."

* * *

After tennis club on Tuesday Sakuno dropped her racket off to be restrung then headed down the block to Mitsumaru Sports. Momoshiro and Ryoma were already there looking at shoes. Fuji Yuuta and his team member with dark wavy hair that she ought to know were over by the rackets. Since it wasn't Fuji himself she didn't bother to greet him and searched the shelves for grip tape then noticed a small pyramid of tennis balls attached to a steel base with an elastic cord. She still had the one she bought last year when no one on the team would practice with her. It caught Ryoma's attention when she demonstrated it to Tomoka and he hit a boy in the face while he was testing it. Sakuno subconsciously shook her head recalling how Ryoma had walked away not caring that he knocked the boy unconscious.

She walked around a display case of accessories recalling that there were boys like that on every team, attacking with the ball because they lacked the skill to win. Or as in Ryoma's case it was a way of retaliating against taunts. Fortunately he was growing out of it just like Kirihara had. Not one of the top ranked players used a ball and racket to hurt their opponents; they wanted an honest win.

"Hey, little girl." When the girl looked up at him Yuuta continued "You should stick to the toys." He tilted his head toward the pyramid of boxed tennis balls the girl dismissed with a shake of her head. "At least until you are serious enough to practice at the street courts."

"Don't worry about my seriousness, Fuji-san. St. Rudolf's is not very strong." Sakuno blushed, but didn't stutter or feel nervous around Fuji's younger brother.

How did she know his name and school? He noticed Momoshiro and Ryoma out of the corner of his eye then realized she was the one Syusuke had been talking about. "Ryuzaki-san, next time you make a lunch for my brother make sure to put his name on it."

'Yes." Sakuno dropped her eyes smiling shyly "He will definitely know it's his." She bowed quickly before heading to the cashier.

Yuuta watched her leave the store no longer wondering why his older brother had been so angry about a little bit of chicken stir fry. The following Sunday afternoon he opened the refrigerator looking for a snack and found part of a white rice whale topped with swallow shaped slices of ginger and the outline of a dragonfly in wasabi. He quickly returned it to its exact position on the shelf and decided to make instant ramen.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kikumaru-san hit the ball while doing a cartwheel, but he and Oishi-san still didn't make the Regular team for Nationals."

"But Fuji-san and Tezuka-san made the team, right Sakuno?"

"No, not even Sanada-san. They don't allow first-years on their Nationals team no matter how good they are."

"I guess they'll have to prove themselves all over again."

"The way things are going it looks like we'll be facing Hyotei and Rikkai Dai for sure."

"I still think that's better than Fudomine. I feel bad for whoever has to face An-chan."

"She scary even when she's playing doubles with Momoshiro-senpai. Do you think the other girls on the team won't play with her because she's the Captain?"

"I think there's another reason why she only plays with Momoshiro-senpai, Sakuno."

"Well, we aren't going to see her until after the championships anyway."

"So where do you want to practice tomorrow?"

"Grandmother received a free trial membership card to the Tokyo Tennis Club so maybe we could try a new place."

"I won't be able to take my brothers. Why don't you check it out and tell me about it."

"Are you sure you can't come, Tomoka?"

"Yes, you know it's easier to concentrate on playing a match when we're at the street courts than it will be at the tennis club where they'll run off."

"Okay, I'll tell you what it's like when I get back."

* * *

Sakuno was more excited than nervous as she walked into the tennis center. There was a small shop that sold tennis clothes, rackets and balls next to a place to get your racket re-strung. The club also had private instructors and special training sessions for young children. Sakuno was a little overwhelmed and unsure if she should try to find someone to practice with on one of the outside courts or watch the rest of the doubles match at the inside court or if she should try one of the serving machines.

"Hey, watch where you're going little girl." A high school guy sneered down at her.

She bowed as respectfully as possible with her bag on her shoulder "Please excuse me."

"Apologize properly and maybe I'll forgive you."

He looked sort of like Aria with Kamio's hair style which was an odd combination to Sakuno "I am sorry for causing you to bump into me."

"Not good enough."

"Then perhaps next time you should pay more attention, senpai." Sakuno knew the soft voice behind her and turned to see his usual gentle smile.

"Syusuke?" She clutched her strap with both hands worried that he'd get in trouble for challenging an upperclassman.

When Sakuno whispered his name it was hard to think about anything other than her big beautiful eyes, especially when she bit her bottom lip like that. Coach Ryuzaki's restrictions were completely unreasonable, but with the girl here and apparently alone perhaps there was a way around the rules. "Do you want something to drink?"

"We'll settle this during club tomorrow, Fuji-kun."

He remained focused on the sweet girl in front of him "I look forward to it."

Sakuno relaxed now that she knew the guy was only trying to save face and Syusuke didn't think much of his skill. "Are you sure it's okay to get something now?"

Syusuke nodded as he led her toward the small café nestled between the first and second courts. "I didn't expect to see you for a few weeks. This is a nice surprise."

"Grandmother received a free trial membership, but Tomoka-chan didn't want to bring her brothers."

"That was a good idea." He scanned the courts within sight wanting a more private place to practice with her. "I'll show you around."

"If you're sure you have time. I thought you were going to be very busy with a new training menu."

"Tezuka gave us copies of the training menu Inui discussed with him last week, but since we aren't allowed to play we'll start using it after the championships."

"Why doesn't the Captain or Coach want to use it now? Do they not trust Inui-senpai?"

"Tezuka only shared it with Eiji, Oishi, me, Sanada and Tachibana Kippei. Either Iwakura or Seiritsu Gakuen will be number one this year; however, we are planning the next two years to be Hibiya."

"Are you guys making your own team within the team? I suppose what Tezuka-senpai and Tachibana-san both went through in middle school makes them more loyal to each other than to their school."

"Hibiya will become a combination of Seigaku and Fudomine the way Hyotei and Rikkai Dai move on to Seiritsu."

"Except for Sanada-san. Syusuke, please let me watch the Hibiya ranking matches next year."

"Perhaps they should be held at Ariake Coliseum."

Sakuno grinned at the thought of a school needing to use the coliseum for its own ranking matches. "Your school could make a lot of money selling tickets just to determine who will be the next captain."

He smiled; every so often Sakuno said exactly what he was thinking "Saa…would you like to try one of the serving machines?"

Honestly, she would have agreed to anything he suggested. "I've never used one before so please lend me your guidance."

They didn't spend much time on the fourth court; he wasn't able to provide the close personal instruction that he wanted to. "Sakuno, do you need to work on drills or do you want to use the backboard?" He gestured to a shaded wall around the corner somewhat secluded from the courts.

Pointedly ignoring the empty court behind them she answered "Um, well, there doesn't seem to be a place to practice drills that won't bother other people, so, um, maybe we should just work on the basics?"

She was so adorably cute he wrapped his left arm around her waist while she placed her feet next to his. Sakuno blushed, yet didn't say anything so he brushed his hand along her forearm before wrapping his hand around her grip. "Are you comfortable, Sakuno?" Fuji whispered in her ear then grabbed the back of her left hand slotting his fingers through hers as he switched the racket from right to left.

Sakuno expected him to hold the back of her hand because they hadn't been this alone for months. She wasn't prepared for the way he pressed her against him and when his velvet soft voice whispered in her ear Sakuno couldn't find her voice to answer; she was very aware of him shifting his weight from right to left and back again as he switched the racket back and forth. The fact that the ball hit the same cinderblock over and over didn't register with her at all.

He released her hand trailing his fingertips up her arm. The ball bounced off somewhere when he reached her neck. The racket hit the ground as his thumb traced her jaw; maybe he should figure out where all the security cameras are.

* * *

Sakuno bowed "I am so sorry I didn't tell you about our change of plans, but it was the first time we were going to see An-chan in weeks and Tomoka really wanted to go." She apologized to her shoes "I'm really sorry, please forgive me." The space between their shoes remained the same. He didn't walk away, yet he wasn't coming any closer either.

"Where did you go?" He was ditched for Tachibana An. "I thought you wanted to see the ranking matches."

"An-chan needed high heels so we went to the mall." It would have been more fun to watch the rematch between Tezuka and Sanada, but the outcome wasn't a surprise.

Fuji watched her slowly turn red and begin to fidget nervously "What happened?" her silence made him uncomfortable "Are you keeping secrets from me?"

She shook her head violently, but still didn't meet his eyes "There was a cute pair of sandals, but An-chan said there isn't enough height difference between us for me to need them yet."

There was obviously more to the conversation if she was still this upset just thinking about it. "Sakuno, look at me." When she glanced up through her fringe he continued "Did either of them mention us doing something that made you uncomfortable?" When she remained quiet he eliminated the space between them. "Do you want to tell me before the team shows up?"

Sakuno looked up at his closed eyes and gentle smile, a silent invitation for her to confide in him. She couldn't bring herself to tell him what An-chan and Tomoka said about their boyfriends, especially when he was this close; however, it was easier to do something An-chan wasn't able to do with Momoshiro. Tentative fingertips stroked his hair then boldly brushed through his soft wispy bangs stopping abruptly at the snicker behind them.

Eiji had tried to keep quiet when they saw her approach the unusually sullen genius, but when she reached for his hair Fuji obviously wasn't expecting her to be so forward and Eiji laughed.

"Fuji, you do realize public displays of affection are grounds for detention."

"But he was the victim here."

"Can a visitor be given detention?"

"You're standing around instead of warming up." Captain Tezuka didn't wait for their excuses "twenty laps." He turned toward Ryuzaki and as expected she had already headed for a bench to stay out of the way.

Sakuno couldn't help but hear the girls standing on the other side of the fence and they knew it.

"Who's the ugly little girl?"

"Is she related to one of the Regulars?"

"She certainly can't be with any of them."

"What gives her the right to impose on the team?"

"What's up with that?" Tachibana jerked his head toward the gate where some of the first year boys were posturing instead of picking up the balls.

Fuji followed his gaze to see Sakuno sitting on the first bench then noticed the usual girls at the fence behind her and a few first-years playing around because the Captain went to the Coach's office. They both saw Sanada heading toward the gate and Fuji shrugged it off going back to their drills. Tachibana knew that if Sakuno was uncomfortable she won't be for long, yet was a little puzzled that Fuji was alright with letting someone else protect his girl.

Sakuno wasn't able to see Syusuke very well with Kaido in the way, not that it mattered. She was supposed to be focusing on the different drills they were doing so she'd be able to practice them later. The last time she saw him was before the Nationals and she hadn't even been able to keep hold of the racket when he touched her which was probably why she ranked third on the team. Thinking about him was such a distraction Sakuno felt fortunate that she even made it as a Regular this year.

Sanada told the irresponsible first-years to sprint from baseline to baseline until the Captain came back then looked back over his shoulder at the girl on the bench. Unlike the other girl's at the fence discussing his teammates like they were either eye candy or pieces of meat, Fuji's girl appeared to be studying their training menu. She wore a Seigaku uniform so she must be a third year. Fuji may like them a little young, but he chose well.

Tezuka came back to the courts just before the team was supposed to hit the showers. A number of first-years were passed out in court A. Sanada, Inui and Tachibana were discussing Seiritsu's known strengths and weaknesses. Momoshiro and Kaido were glaring at each other from across the net in court B while Oishi tried to mediate their current argument. Fuji was sitting next to Sakuno holding her hand. In a way it was comforting to know nothing really changed.

* * *

"Are you going to be home alone all day?"

"I have been for every away game the boys' team had since I was a first-year."

"You don't have to be alone this year."

"I suppose I could invite Tomoka and An-chan for a sleep over."

"Sakuno, you're pulling away from me. Why did you touch me then watch the other guys?"

"I was trying to learn Inui-senpai's training menu."

"Did you choose me just to learn tennis, Sakuno?" Am I in your heart at all?

"You're amazing to watch; especially against a strong opponent…are you bored with teaching me? Are you tired of trying to practice with me between your feet?" Do you regret choosing me?

"I haven't even begun to teach you yet, Sa-chan, and between my feet is the best place for you to learn."

"Oh, um, well, if you don't mind too much, Syusuke, would you please come over whenever it's convenient for you? I think I might need some help doing some of the drills you did today."


End file.
